Ventilating construction



Au 5, 1941- R. l. LEADBETTER 2,251,682

VENTILATING CONSTRUCTION Filed May '2., 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1v Aug- 5, 1941- R. l. LEADBETTER 2,251,682 y VENTILATING CONSTRUCTION Filed may 2, 195s 4 sheets-sheet a a v l 6 A AU www -Hemmm U v u Vig--- 4 lu j Aug- 5, 1941. R. l. LEADBETTER 2,251,682

VENTLATING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 2, 1938 4 sheets-sheet .s

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Gasen@ a eaa/e/e/f @y AWA ww R. L. LEADBETTER VENTILLTING CONSTRUCTION Aug. 5, 1941.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I Filed May 2, 1938 Patented Aug.. 5, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENTILATING CONSTRUCTION Ralph L. Leadbetter, Wheaton, Ill., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Burgess Battery Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation o! Delaware Application May 2, 1938, Serial No. 205,403

(Cl. 98f-14) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in airdistributing apparatus for Ventilating systems, and pertains particularly to that type of airdistributing apparatus in which the Ventilating air is introduced into an enclosure through a' 4at least-I a portion of the ceiling of the enclosure.

The upper panel, which is not visible from below, is usually provided -with a relatively small number of holes and is known as the control panel since it functions, due to the limited proportion of open area, to. restrict the ow of air from4 the plenum chamber into the enclosure below, thus maintaining an appreciable Superatmospheric pressure substantially uniform throughout the volume of the plenum chamber. Under such conditions it is possible to distribute the air from the plenum chamber into the enclosure in accordance with predetermined specifications by varying the number end/or size oi' openings in any zone of the` control panel. A perforated facing member, usually provided with a large number of small openings and generally referred to as the distributing panel, forms the ceiling of the enclosure as well as a final distributing outlet of the air distributor, serving on the upper surface .of the panel due to direct impingement or on the under surface due, in part, to deposits from eddy currents created by the high velocity air streams.

These streams pass through the openings in the adjacent areas of thedistributing panel and in vehicles having very low ceilings the discrete streams may cause drafts sensible to persons in the enclosure. For these'reasons it is desirable to diffuse the air passing through the control panel as eiiciently4 as possible vbefore the air reaches the' facing for final distribution.

The object of this invention is to provide means for diffusing th'e air passing through the openings of the control member of an air distributor whereby each opening provides a uniformly distributed air supply to .that area of the distributing member which such opening is intended to serve. A further object isto provide means for regulating the rate of flow of air through. the openings in the control panel to thereby supply the Ventilating air to thev different parts of the enclosure to be ventilated according to predetermined 'specications Y to screen the control panel which is generally unsightly. 'I'he purpose of the construction is to distribute Ventilating air into an enclosure in desired quantities at diierent parts thereof and without draft formation.

Experience has shown that the air streams passing through the openings in the control panel do not spread suiciently to prevent their impingement at high velocity aga-inst the perforated distributing member. A portion of the foreign materials borne by the Ventilating" air is'deposited on the distributing panel and, since the amount of the accumulation at any point Fig..2;

is roughly proportional to the volume of air passing through the panel at that point, the result of uneven flow through the panel is an undesirable appearance due to .the localized dirty areas. lThis appearance may be due to deposits In practicing the invention, adjustable shutters are arranged to regulate the rate of now of air from the plenum chamber through the openings in the control panel. An impedance is provided at each plenum chamber outlet which operates to reduce the velocity' of the air and diiuse the stream as a step in the distribution of the air supplied to the enclosure. A device operating to maintain an air cushion in the path of the air stream is employed for this purpose. The succeeding and final step in the air-distribution process is accomplished by the apertured distributing panel which is fed by the diiiusers. The diffusing devices are fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View, partly in section, showing the air-distributing construction installed in a railway car;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the preferred form of the air diiluser taken at line 2--2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is' a sectional view taken at line 3-3 of Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the roof portion of a railway car showing a modied embodiment of the invention;

Fig.. 5 is a detailed sectional View of the air control anddiffuser of Fig. 4 at line 5-5 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the apparatus ofFig. 4;

v Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detailed view showing the operating mechanism of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a detail of the construction of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a further modification of the invention; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line III-I of Fig. 9.

The general arrangement of a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, installed, in

'I'he air-distributing construction, designated generally by the numeral I, forms a ceiling extending between half-decks 2 and 3 of a railway car. This construction consists of a perforated or otherwise apertured distributing panel 4 which forms the ceiling presented to view from within the passenger compartment, control panel 5, frame members 6 and 1 and the air ow control and diffusing means hereinafter described. 'I'his construction may be pre-fabricated and installed as a unit in the pr'ocess of construction of the car. The distributing and control panels may be made of any suitable self-sustaining material. I prefer to use perforated sheet metal for the former and a hard pressed-wood material, such as Masonite, for the latter. The

, panels may be welded to frames 6 and 1, if metal,

or rivets or screws may be used to fasten the various members together.

In preparing the car for installation of the airdistributing equipment, the roof -8 is lined with insulation 9 and a suitable surfacing membrane I0 applied to the insulation and preferably extending downwardly along the inside surfaces of carlines II and I2 to form plenum chamber I3. Membrane I0 should be air-impervious to prevent accumulation of odors or the penetration of moisture into insulating material 9. The individual air-distributing units may then be inserted between lighting fixtures I4 in the particular design shown. Suitable panels I may be used to carry out the architectural motif. Moldings I 8 are used to conceal the joints along the sides of the distributing panels 4 and moldings conceal the joints between adjacent ceiling'panels. Any suitable air conditioning and impelling equipment may Le used to continuously supply Ventilating air to plenum chamber I3 from which the air is distributed into the passenger compartment in accordance with predetermined specifications.

As shown in Fig. 1, a slot I8, or, in the alternative, a series of holes, is provided in the control panel for passage of air from -the plenum chamber I3 to a secondary plenum chamber I9 and thence through the perforations of distributing panels 4 into the passenger compartment. It is desirable to have approximately the same amount of air flowing through the control panel opening in each air-distributing unit throughout the length of the car,4 in some cases,. while in other installations-it is desirable to provide varying quantities of air to different parts of the passenger compartment. In order to provide means for controlling the flow of air through each control panel opening I8, an adjustable shutter 20 is arranged to overlap opening I8 and to be adjustable from below. This control mechanism will be described more fully below.

If. air were permitted to pass from plenum chamber I3 through opening .I8 directly into secondary chamber I9 without being diffused, it would pass through distributing panels 4 at a localized area or areas thereof, while substantially no air would pass through portions or may pass in reverse direction through portions of the panel. In order to prevent localized drafts and suction of air upwardly through the distributing panel due to the action of the high velocity streams means are provided for spreading the stream of air passing through opening I8 to thereby supply air evenly to all parts of distributing panel 4. Although a large number of different forms of diffuser may be used in carrying out the invention, a preferred construction from the standpoint of performance and economy in manufacture is that shown in Figs. 1 to 3. member 2| which extends lengthwise of the car in the embodiment shown. This trough member may be formed of perforated sheet m'etal, the total effective open area being such that its resistance to air flow is not more, and preferably is less, than that of opening I8, a satisfactory range being from a resistance equal to that of opening4 I8 to one-half that much. The extent of perforation of this diffuser element is not critical, but best results are obtained within Athe range indicated. Insuflicient open area would result in high velocity jets from the perforations. The perforations are preferably fairly large, say, one-quarter inch, to obviate danger of plugging by dirt. A perforated baffle 22 is arranged beneath opening I8 and above the middle portion of trough 2| to assist in the diffusing function.

The air-diffuser composed of trough member 2| and cross baille 22 may be mounted on the underside of control panel 5 by means of screws or bolts 23, or may be welded if sheet metal is used for the control panel. In order to overcome the tendency of the air. to flow in disproportionate quantities horizontally sideways from the diifuser and to obviate the undesirable suction effects of high velocities, vertical apertured baiilles 24 are disposed between the control and distributing panels between the diffusing member and the side frames 6 and 1. These baffles are not an essential part of the apparatus andare unnecessary where a short unit is used. They should be approximately 50% open, but this is not critical. In addition to their function as secondary air diifusers, these members also serve to brace the panel construction.

In providing means for adjusting shutter 20 to control the flow of air through opening I8, openings. 25, 26, 21, 28 and 28a are provided in register with each other in distributing panel 4 trough 2|, baflle 22, shutter 20 and control panel 5, respectively. A hollow dome 29 is mounted on baille 22 and has an opening 30 to accommodate bolt 3|. The head 32 of the bolt is retained between the dome and the surface of baille 22. A polygonal keyway 33 is provided in bolt head 32 to receive a key 34 adapted to engage the walls of the keyway in turning bolt 3| between the bearing surfaces provided. A washer spring 35 is provided between the head of the bolt and the dome. A nut 36 may be welded to shutter 28 in register with opening' 28 to engage the threaded portion of bolt 3|. Turning of the bolt adjusts the spacing between shutter 2li and control panel 5. It will be seen that a very simple mechanism is here provided for adjusting the flow of air from the plenum chamber into the This device comprises a trough-shaped culiar advantage as a part of shutter and also cooperate with channel guides 38 (Fig. 2) to lprevent rotation oi shutter 28 when an adjustment lis made by turning bolt 3|.

In the particular design shown bolts 39 are em' ployed to hold guide 38 in position and also to hold the assembly of theentire .distributing unit together. l 1v 5 The shutter arrangement de ribed has pethis invention. While a substantial pressure head must be maintained in the plenum chamberlito' eiect the de-` opening I8 as compared with the plenum chamchamber 69.

ymodate the thimble 10.

extending upwardly from spindle 1I is adaptedl ber pressure and consequently the velocityof the air passing through this opening is proportionately reduced.

Although-the dilusing unit is shown disposed longitudinally of the railway car in Fig. l, it may also be arranged crosswise. The arrangement shown is more convenient with a curved ceiling design. The trough member may extend between the opposed sides vof the secondary chamber, in which case the ends of the trough diiuser need not be closed, or a comparatively short unit may be used, perforated end members, such as 40, being provided to prevent excessive ow of air from the ends of the unit.`

' A slightly modified embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 4 to 8. In the general arrangement shown in Fig. 4, plenum chamber 50 is provided superjacent the passenger compartment `of the vehicle. The air-distributing unit, designated generally by the numeral 5|, is composed of perforated distributingrpanel 52, control panel 53 and frame members 54, and is designed to be inserted between central supporting beam 55 and carline 56.4 Moldings 51 are used to supportthe unit and cover the joints. The air-distributing units are preferably assembled and installed in such a way that they may conveniently be removed and opened for cleaning and inspection.

The diffusing elements used in this' structure include perforated diiusing plate 58 angularly disposed between imperforate supporting members 59 (which, in the 4embodiment shown, is a portion of control panel 53) and 68 and secondary perforated diffusing plate 6| spaced below primary element 58 and supported by the back member 60 and theends 62 of the diffusing unit.

As shown, the upper edge of plate 6| is spacedJ from supporting4 member 59.

A strip of felt 63 may be used as a gasket to prevent vibration between the metallic parts.

Although the air flow control mechanism described above may beused with this modified air between plenum chamber 50 and secondary The mechanism for controlling the adjustment of the shutter vinclude a downwardly projecting thimble 10, preferably of brass,.

and a spindle 1| having a collar 12 journaled in the annular space provided between shoulder 13l of thimble 10 and the portion of the control panel adjacent the periphery of opening 14'provided in the control panel. Openings are provided in the elements of the ydiffuser to accom- An eccentric pin 15 to engage transverse slot 16 in shutter 65 to move the latter longitudinally upon rotation of the spindle.' Suitable means, such as a slot 11, are provided to manipulate spindle 1| from below. The end portion of spindle 1| may be split longitudinally, as indicated at 18, and internally threaded to receive set screw 19 as a locking device acting to prevent rotation of spindle 1|, after adjustment thereof,v by expanding the split portion of the spindle inside thimble 10. A screw driver or other suitable instrument is used to rotate the spindle and adjust the shuttergAn opening is` provided for this purpose in the distributing panel 52.

If desired, the air-diffusing unit shown in Fig. 5may be fabricated apart from the entire airdistributing unit and inserted after complete assembly. Instead of using the control panel as an integral part of the device to support the mechanism, as shown, a separate horizontal supporting member may be provided and the nished unit inserted bodily into secondary chamber 69 by lowering it into a suitable opening along the edge of the control panel.

In the operation. of this embodiment of the invention, air is supplied to the diffuser from the plenum chamber. The momentum of the flowing air is reduced by the air cushions created byfbale members 58 and 6| and it is permitted to ow into the. secondary chamber 69 for final distribution into the yenclosure by distributing .panel 52.` The larger portion of the air leaves form ofthe invention, I have showna further construction suitable for this purpose. tails are'syhown in Figs. 5 to 8. A series of holes 64 are provided in a row in control panel 53. A strip .shutter 65 having a corresponding series of holes 66 is arranged to slide between guides 61 and bear against the upper surface of control panel 53. Spring members 68 (Fig. 8) are riveted l that adjustment of shutter 65 with respect to the control panel will uncover a greater or less The dethe diiuser via the opening between theedge of baille 6| and the control panel or supporting member 59,v the remainder passing downwardly through the perforations of baille 6| or sidewise through the perforations of end members .62. Obviously the total effective area available for egress of air from therdiifuser must be considerably greater than the effective open area of openings 64 to permit air to ow into secondaryv chamber at low velocity.

A further modified diffusing unit is shown in Figs. 9 and 10. A generally conicalor bowl- `shaped diffusing element is used in place of the trough-like diffusing element 2|.

This element is disposed adjacent to disc 8| which is provided with a number of ppenings 82. A cover formed by plates 83 and 84 is disposed above disc 8|, as shown. Central openings are provided to receive the reduced end portions of sleeves 85 and 86, the ends of which are swaged over the peripheral portions of the openings. Sleeve 85 is interiorly threaded at 81Vand is provided with an enlarged bore at 88 to receive `to shutter 65 and bear against a surface of guide 70` bushing 8 9. Bolt 9| passes through sleeve 86 and bushing 89 and is threaded into sleeve 85 at 81, bushing 89 being pinned at 98 to the bolt. Thrust bearings are thus formed by the upper and lower shoulders of diminished bore portion 92V of sleeve 86 which cooperate with the head of the bolt and with the bushing 89. A suitable areagof holes' 64 and thus control thefiiow of 75 socket 93 is provided in the head of bolt 9| to receive a key inserted through perforation- 94 in distributing panel 95 to adjust the cover with perforations of distributing panel 95 into the.

space to be ventilated. The quantity of air is controlled by the size of the space between the cover and the plate 8|.

The operation of this device is similar to that of the forms of diffusers above-described. Diffusing element 80 is perforated sufciently'to permit air entering the device fromthe plenum chamber to flow into the secondary chamber at low velocity. The high velocity air stream passing through openings 82 is broken up and supplied in difused 'condition to the distributing panel for introduction into the space below.

A Ventilating system constructed in accordance with thepresent invention operates as a combined pressure and displacement system, Air is supplied to the plenum chamber in quantities suflicient to, maintain a positive pressure therein whereby to cause air to pass through the control panel openings under substantially the same pressure head for all parts of the control panel. Control over the flow of air from the plenum chamber is necessarily accomplished by restriction of the effective open area of the control panel, and the air passes through such openings at a relatively high velocity. These high velocity air streams are arrested and the air is diffused, and admitted to the secondary chamber at low velocity and with only slight inertia. Thus the air passing. from the diffusing element displaces the air immediately preceding as a result of the force applied by the moving air streams passing through the openings of the control panel. 'I'urbulence of the air leaving the diffusingA element occurs only to a very limited extent and the air is neither forced through the distributing panel at sch high velocities as to cause drafts nor is it projected horizontally in the secondary chamber at a sufficiently high velocity to cause suction of air from the enclosure below into the secondary chamber.v Thus it is seen that the air diffusing and control unit constitutes the heart of the Ventilating system.

Although the invention is illustrated and described as associated with a Ventilating system for vehicles, Vit is equally suitable for architectural uses. Similarly, the distributors may be used vertically at a wall of the enclosure although the illustrations and description exemplify them as installedoverhead. 'The specic embodiments are shown 'and described by way of example and the invention is not limited other than as dened by the appended claims.

I claim: l

l. In an air distributor fora Ventilatingv system for an enclosurehaving a ceiling, a sheetform control member of substantially air iming an apertured trough-like member arranged with the edges thereof contiguous to said control member on opposed sides of said slot, end members for said trough-like member, and an apertured baille member spaced under said slot and arranged substantially horizontally within said trough-like member.

2. In an air distributorv for a Ventilating system for an enclosure having a ceiling, a sheetform control member of substantially air-irnpervious material having a slot therein and spaced below said ceiling, a perforated sheet-form airdistributing member spaced below said control member, means for continuously supplying venl tilating air to the space between said ceiling and said control member, and a diffusing device between said control member and said air-distributing member adapted to spread the stream of air lpassing through said slot to thereby maintain a supply of air to substantially all portions of said air-distributing member, said diffusing device comprising an apertured trough-like member arranged with the edges thereof contiguous to said control member on opposed sides of said slot, end members for said trough-like member, and an apertured baille member disposed horizontally under said slot and within said troughlike member.

3. In a Ventilating, system, the combination with an enclosure having a wall or ceiling, of a sheet-like control member spaced inwardly from said wall or ceiling to lform a plenum chamber, means for continuously supplying Ventilating air to said chamber, said control member Ihaving a slot therein, means for regulating the rate of flow of air through said slot, an apertured sheetform distributing member spaced inwardly from said control member with respect to said enclosure', and a diffusing element between said control member and said distributing member adapted to spread the stream of air passing through said slot to thereby maintain a supply of air to substantially all portions of said distributing member, said diffusing element comprising an elongated trough-like member arranged with the edges thereof abutting said control member on opposed sides of said slot and a baille member disposed within said trough-like member between the sides thereof, said trough-like member and said baille member having a multiplicity of apertures distributed therein.

4. The construction of claim 3 in which said means for regulating the rate of flow of air through said slot comprising a shutter plate dispervious material having a slot ltherein and f through said slot, said diiusingdevice compris-z posed parallel to and spaced from said control panel at said slot on the side of said panel opposite to said diffusing element, and means for adjusting the distance of said plate from said control panel to thereby regulate the rate of flow of air through said slot, said plate overlapping a substantial portion of said control panelA surrounding said slot.

5. The construction of claim 3 4and including apertured partitions extending between said control panel and said air-distributing member, said partitions being disposed intermediate said diffusing element and an edge of said air-distributing member in substantially parallel relation with said diffusing element.

6. In a Ventilating air distributing system, in

combination, a plenum chamber superjacent an/ enclosure, to be'ventilated, means for continuously supplying Ventilating air to said chamber, a control panel having one ,or more openings nearU an edgevthereoflfand forming the floor of said chamber, means for controlling the rate of flow of air through said openings, a perforated distributing panel spaced below said control panel, and means for diiusing the air passing through said openings, said 'diusing means comprising an imperforate supporting and enclosing member depending from said control panel between an opening therein and the near edge of said control panel, a perforated sheetform baille inclined between said supporting and enclosing member and said control panel under said opening, a second perforated sheet-'form baille spaced in substantially parallel relation below said first baille, one edge of said second baille abutting said supporting and enclosing member and the opposed edge being spaced below said control panel, and end members abutt- Ving said supporting and enclosing member and enclosing the space between said second baille with an enclosure having a wall or ceiling, of a sheet-like control panel spaced inwardly from said'wall or` ceiling to form a plenum chamber, means for continuously supplying Ventilating air to said chamber, said control panel being of substantially air-impervious material and having an opening therein, means for regulating the rate of tlow of air through lsaid opening comprising a valve plate adjustably spaced from and overlapping said 'control panel a considerable extent beyond said opening, a perforated sheet-form distributing panel spaced inwardly from said control panel with respect to said enclosure, and a 

